The third straight Tuesday night Auditorium wrestling presentation of the month of
August has been scheduled by Promoters Tony Stecher and Billy B. Hoke for next Tuesday,
August 20, when a bill featuring some of the nation's best known heavyweight stars will be
offered. Abe Coleman, formerly of Winnipeg but now of New York City, who is generally
recognized as the leading Jewish wrestler in the game and as an oustanding contender for
world's titular laurels, has been definitely signed and will appear in a featured position
on the card against an opponent yet to be named. Watch the Minneapolis daily newspapers,
or tune in on your favorite radio station for announcement of the card within the next two
or three days.

In addition to Coleman, the promoters are expecting to show several other popular
grapplers who have been campaigning for the past months in other sections of the country.
They are in contact with Pat O'Shocker, the sensational Irishman; Cliff Olsen, popular
young Swede from Baudette, Minn.; Frank Speer, All-American grid ace from Georgia; Joe
Cox, the Kansas City whirlwind, and several others in regard to coming here for action
either on the next card or in the very immediate future.

When the All-America college gridders line up against the Chicago Bears at Soldier
Field on August 29, four professional heavyweight wrestlers will be in uniform. They are
Bronko Nagurski, Jim McMillen, Ray Richards and Bill Lee. The first three named are with
the Bears, while Lee reports to the Brooklyn Dodgers for his first pro grid season after
the All-Star game. The latter starred for Alabama's Crimson Tide last fall.

Ireland's new heavyweight wrestling champion of the world, Danno
O'Mahoney, who recently erased all disputants to his crown from the championship picture
by tossing Jimmy Londos, Jim Browning, Chief Little Wolf and Ed Don George, is coming to
Minneapolis for a second appearance soon. Jack McGrath, manager of the titleholder, has
agreed to send his charge into action in a titular fray against the winner of tonight's
bout between Ray Steele, popular California contender, and the veteran Ed (Strangler)
Lewis, four times holder of the world's heavyweight diadem. In his first showing here a
couple of months ago the Irishman downed Lou Plummer, the leering villain from Baltimore,
with apparent ease.

Ray Richards, the popular Nebraskan who has performed on a number of Auditorium
grappling cards, turned in a fine game of football with the Chicago Bears against the
All-Stars at Chicago last week. Richards, playing guard, was in the game for the entire
first half and most of the second half, and the Stars were unable to gain through his
section of the line.

The predecessor of Otto Kuss on Indiana University's national collegiate championship
wrestling team, Andy Rascher, is slated to make his initial wrestling appearance in this
section soon. Rascher was national amateur heavyweight champion at Indiana, and upon his
graduation, Kuss stepped into his place as the heavyweight representative on the mat team,
and was himself a runnerup for the national crown.

Darna Ostopavitch, the popular Polish matman from Kansas City who has not been beaten
in Minneapolis competition during the past year, has been campaigning successfully through
the south, and expects to return to Minnesota for bouts within the next month.

Gus Sonnenberg, the flying tackle ace and former world's champion, is expected to pass
through this part of the country in a short time and Promoters Tony Stecher and Billy B.
Hoke have every intention of grabbing him off for at least one Minneapolis showing against
a formidable opponent.

Sol Slagel, the roly-poly contortionist-matman, is making the rounds of Texas rings. He
plans to swing through the south and on out to the West Coast before returning to these
parts for action.

Negotiations are still being carried on by Promoters Tony Stecher and Billy
B. Hoke to line up a return bout between Danno O'Mahoney, of
Ireland, and Paul Jones, of Texas, for the world's heavyweight
championship here at the earliest possible date . . . The promoters as well as Jones have
tabooed an out-of-town referee for the joust, and if it is held a Twin City arbiter will
officiate . . . December 10 is the earliest tentative date being sought for the bout . . .
It may, however, be held up by the impending trip of O'Mahoney to his home in Ireland . .
. His time of stay in the United States is about up . . . Also his furlough from the Irish
Free State army . . . He must purchase his discharge from the army in order to carry on
his professional wrestling career . . . There is a strong possibility that Stecher and
Hoke may be able to show both Man Mountain Dean, the bewhiskered Georgia
317-pounder, and Gus Sonnenberg, the Dartmouth Dynamiter and former
world's champion, here within the next few weeks . . . Dean recently won a decision over
the veteran Ed (Strangler) Lewis in a "handicap" bout at St.
Louis. . . Lewis agreed to throw Dean within 20 minutes or forfeit the bout, and Dean was
still on his feet at the expiration of time . . . Several former local favorites are now
campaigning around New York City . . . These include Cliff Olson, Abe Kashey,
George Koverly, Jack Hader, Elmer Guthrie, Whitey Hewitt, Abe Coleman and
Axel Anderson . . . Hal Rumberg is idling at Bristol, Va., while
a leg injury heals . . . Lou Plummer is drawing his boos from audiences
in Toronto, Ottawa, London, and other Canadian towns currently . . . Sol Slagel,
George Harben, Joe Cox, Darna Ostopavitch, Ellis Bashara and Paul Jones
are among those now campaigning in Texas and the south . . . Pat Fraley,
now on the Pacific Coast, expects to return to Minnesota early in January . . . Andy
Moen is reported doing well in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and neighboring state
rings . . . Art Shires, one of baseball's best known bad boys, is back
refereeing wrestling and boxing cards in Iowa after a season as manager of the Harrisburg
club in the New York-Pennsylvania loop . . . Joe Stecher is rapidly
rounding into top form for his contemplated comeback campaign . . . The former world's
heavyweight champion is working out daily in the gymnasium with several local grapplers .
. . His return to competition is tentatively slated for early January.

Louis Thesz, the popular Hungarian youngster, is headed back to this
part of the country for wrestling competition, and will likely be seen on an early card at
the Minneapolis Auditorium . . . Thesz gained some valuable experience last week when he
spent four days as a sparring partner of Ed (Strangler) Lewis while the
latter was preparing for his scheduled championship joust with Danno O'Mahoney
at St. Louis tomorrow night . . . Thesz turned in seven straight wins here during the
summer and early fall . . . Ivan Vakturoff, Russian heavyweight veteran,
and Mike Anton, clever young Greek, are among the new wrestlers slated to
be seen here real soon . . . Bronko Nagurski is carrying around an odd
pocket piece . . . It is the piece of bone growth which surgeons removed from his leg a
couple of weeks ago . . . It had kept him out of athletic competition for several months .
. . Heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures caused cancellation or postponement of wrestling
cards in Des Moines, Omaha, St. Joseph, Osceola, and Austin last week . . . Ed
Cook, the wrestler-referee, actually worked his way through school at Coe
College, Iowa, as a cook in a restaurant . . . What's in a name? . . . Otto Kuss
had a narrow escape from serious injury last Saturday night when the car he was driving
turned over near his Pine City home . . . The car was damaged badly, but Otto was not hurt
. . . Farmer (Rasputin) Tobin became the handball champion of the local
wrestling fraternity without a struggle. Using his immense stature, the bewhiskered matman
literally ran his opponents off their feet in a workout last week at the 'Y' courts . . .
A check of the 1935 attendance figures for wrestling at the Auditorium reveals that 30 per
cent of the occupants of ringside and reserved seats were women . . . No check is
available as to the number of women coming in on passes or setting in the general
admission sections . . . Art Shires officiated in Fargo, N.D., and before
he got back to Minneapolis froze both his ears . . . Ben Baad and Darna
Ostapavitch were among those corresponding with the local promoters during the
past week relative to coming up here in the near future . . . Both wrote from Texas . . .
Mike Nazarian has entirely recovered from his recent injury and started back this
week wrestling again . . . Wrestling night will move up to Monday again next week . . .
Don't forget it, next show on Monday, February 3 . . .

LOUIS THESZ -- This youngster, who ran up a string of seven
consecutive triumphs on the Minneapolis Auditorium mat before losing to Pat O'Shocker, the
Irish star, will return to the Northwest within the next couple of weeks competition. He
has recently been in the east and south, and made a fine showing in the big elimination
tournament in Philadelphia before losing to the veteran former champion, Dick Shikat.
Thesz is not yet old enough to vote, yet he has proven his ability to cope with
experienced veterans in the wrestling game, and is regarded as one of the most likely
prospects among the younger stars in the country. He has recently been getting much
valuable knowledge through workouts with Ed (Strangler) Lewis, the former world's
champion.

Bronko Nagurski is now down at Hot Springs, Ark., "boiling
out" to get himself in tip-top condition for his comeback to professional wrestling,
tentatively scheduled for the last of April or first part of May . . . Farmer
Tobin is now in Boston helping his wife collect and start spending the $26,876
she won in the recent Irish Sweepstakes . . . Tobin writes he will return in about 10 days
or two weeks, and wants most of all a return bout with Karl (Big Boy) Davis,
who snapped his winning streak last week . . .Stanley Myslajek, popular
local Polish youngster, is considering a trip to New York, where he has a chance for
several bouts . . . Andy Moen, popular Norwegian heavyweight from Fergus
Falls, is reported doing well in competition around Toronto, Buffalo and other eastern and
Canadian mat centers . . . Sol Slagel, roly-poly mat contortionist,
wintered in Texas and his avoirdupois bounded up past the 300-pound mark . . . Sol has
moved now to California and is working hard to take off some of his excess weight . . . John
Freberg, who wintered in the Pacific Northwest, is also in California now, but
writes that he expects to be back in Minnesota before early summer . . . Wrestling will
miss next week at the Auditorium on account of the annual Northwest Sportsmen's Show, but
starting the following Monday, April 20, weekly programs are planned by Promoters Tony
Stecher and Billy B. Hoke right up to the end of June . . . Sammy
Carter, the policeman-wrestler who has been seriously ill with blood poisoning,
was apparently on the road to recovery but suffered a relapse early this week and is back
in a hospital at Evansville, Ind. . . Members of the Gymal Doled club enjoyed a wrestling
bout between Abe Rothberg and Frank Topas at their
annual "stag" for members last week . . . Alford Johnson,
getting a bit "chesty" since extending his winning streak last week at the
expense of the previously unbeaten Darna Ostopavitch, believes he can
beat any Swede in the game, and has authorized the promoters to challenge for him any
Swede who has designs on the Swedish championship in America . . . Frank Speer
is finishing up a campaign in the south and sends word he wants to get bouts up this way
starting next month . . . Ray Steele was granted his final citizenship
papers last week . . . Ray, nee Pete Sauer, was born in Russia of German
parents and came to the United States when but two years old . . . Otto Kuss
and Cliff Olson are both reported going over big in the south . . . Kuss
has been centering his activities around Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Memphis, Nashville,
Chattanooga and Knoxville . . . Louis Thesz is making a trip into the
south next week, but expects to hop back up here by the first of May . . . No wonder
wrestlers sometimes get travel-weary . . . Abe Kashey, a couple of weeks
ago, wrestled in Hutchinson, Kans., on Monday; Rochester, Minn., on Tuesday; Virginia,
Minn., on Wednesday; and Winnipeg, Canada, on Friday . . . He drove all the way . . .
Don't forget, the next show is Monday night, April 20th . . .

COMING SOON -- Jules Strongbow, a 285-pound Indian giant from
Oklahoma, who has been crashing the headlines all over the country in recent months with
his sensational bouts, is headed this way and will appear soon at the Minneapolis
Auditorium.

_________________________________________

LEO DISQUALIFIED, AND THEN THROWS LOU

(San Francisco Chronicle, June 17, 1953)

By Will Connolly

Leo Nomellini, the 49er football player, held champion Lou Thesz to a draw last night
at the Cow Palace, but Thesz retained his National Wrestling Alliance title, although he
was a mighty sick man at the end.

The crowd was more than twice the number which set a previous local record for
attendance at a wrestling match at Winterland last February between the same men. The Cow
Palace was a virtual sellout, with 16,487 bulging the place, and the receipts were
approximately $52,000.

Referee Jack Dempsey award the first fall in 23 minutes to Thesz because Nomellini
refused to allow the champion back into the ring. Nomellini took the second fall of the
one hour match in 18:23 with a flying tackle off the ropes followed by a body press.

There remained only about ten minutes after this second fall and the challenger had
much the better of the late going. On two occasions near the end Nomellini resorted to
flying tackles but both times, luckily for Thesz, part of his body was outside the ropes,
hence Nomellini was not eligible to follow up with body presses.

In the waning minutes, Thesz staggered around the ring holding his ribs and stomach to
indicate that Nomellini's shoulders had hurt him there. Other times the champion sat in a
neutral corner and massaged his torso.

Earlier Nomellini was angered by Thesz' tactics of banging him in the ear with an
elbow. So, in exasperation, Leo gave Lou a shoulder buck on the ropes, followed by knee
drops. Leo then picked up the prostrate Thesz and body-slammed him over the top ropes. Lou
hit the apron and rolled onto a platform which separated the rings from the seats. There
was some delay when the champion attempted to return to the ring, as Nomellini kept
pushing him out. Referee Dempsey thereupon disqualified Nomellini for failing to obey
directions and with the disqualification went the first fall.

Throughout the match Thesz kept poking his head through the ropes and conferring with
his manager, Ed (Strangler) Lewis, in the red corner. For this, he was jeered by the
crowd. Most of the time Thesz was asking how many minutes were left.

After losing the first fall, Nomellini made a strong comeback. He slapped on a series
of side headlocks which held Thesz captive for long spells. Thesz slipped out of the one
headlock by executing a back body drop, but the champion caught most of Nomellini's weight
on himself and was more severely injured than the challenger.

Shortly after this Referee Dempsey caused consternation by mistakingly awarding a fall
to Nomellini. Dempsey misunderstood Thesz' gesture while he was suffering in a headlock.
Dempsey thought the champ had given up and Jack so indicated to the timekeeper, who rang
the bell.

However, Thesz signalled that he intended to go on.

Dean Maddox thanked the crowd from ringside in the name of Golden Gate Exchange Club,
which shared in the profits for their "Fun for a Day" program.

In the semi-windup, Ray Eckert threw Legs Langevin in straight falls, the first in
13:55 with a body slam and the second in 20:08 with a leg hold. Ben and Mike Sharpe
retained their tag match title by going to a draw with Enrique Torres and Bobby Bruns. Tom
Rice tossed Kay Bell in 21:06 with a crab hold.

______________________________________________________________

The WAWLI Papers # 217...KUUSISTO, STEELE TOP TITLE CONTENDERS

(Sports Facts, Minneapolis Program, Dec. 28, 1943)

Just who are the greatest wrestlers in the world and how do they rank?

That question, a poser for most mat fans, has been the subject of
innumerable arguments and a host of "ratings." And the invariable
result has been the production of twice as many arguments as raged
beforehand.

Today Tony Stecher, Minneapolis promoter, a great wrestler in his own
day, manager of the famous Joe Stecher and an expert who has seen all
the biggies come and go, stepped into the midst of the melee with his
own idea of who would come out of a dark room in one piece, if all the
topnotch matmen were tossed in.

"Whether you think Jim Londos and Bobby Managoff are the two best,"
Stecher said, "you have to rank them at the top because they are,
respectively, the world and NWA champions.

"I'm not considering wrestlers who are inactive, like Everette
Marshall, or in the army, like Butch Levy. And make no mistake, Butch
would be way up there if he were around today."

Two other Minneapolis stars, however, rank as No. 1 and No. 2 title
contenders on Stecher's list. Ray Steele gets the top spot, with Bill
Kuusisto, who meets Wladislaw Talun on tonight's Auditorium card, right
behind him.

Ranked No. 10 among the world topflighters is Paul Jones, the
"figure-four scissors" specialist from Houston, Tex., semiwindup
opponent of Andy Moen tonight.

Several youngsters are just starting to come, Stecher added, and
probably will break into the ranks of the select in the near future.
___________________________________

KUUSISTO ASKS QUESTION: 'WHO'S CHAMP?'

(Sports Facts, Minneapolis Program, Dec. 28, 1943)

Who is the rightful holder of the world heavyweight wrestling
championship?

Minnesota's Bill Kuusisto has a strong claim on that honor, by virtue
of the fact that Jim Londos failed to appear for a scheduled title bout
here last June, and again failed to make good on a promise to meet the
former Gopher star last fall.

"Londos said he had an operation on his arm," Kuusisto stated, "but Jim
is notorious for finding it absolutely necessary to pick tulips, or
something, in California when he's supposed to be in New York.

"If Londos is sincere, why doesn't he come here for a match?"

No official ruling has been forthcoming in the world title dispute, nor
has the current NWA argument been finally settled.

Bobby Managoff and Bill Longson, both familiar to local fans, engaged
in a hotly disputed match in Dallas last season which ended with cries
of foul on all sides.

Longson claimed the victory and the NWA crown, but Managoff, refusing
to relinquish his hold on the title, has posted $10,000 as a guarantee
that he can whip Longson. Bob Managoff Sr., his son's manager, says
even the practically irresistible lure of ten grand has failed to lure
Longson out of his foxhole, or wherever he's hiding.

Minneapolitans who watched young Managoff wrestle here agree that the
Chicagoan is one of the finest pieces of mat machinery put together in
recent years.
____________________________________

NAGURSKI MAY STAGE WRESTLING COMEBACK

(Sports Facts, Minneapolis Program, Dec. 28, 1943)

Will Bronko Nagurski stage a wrestling comeback?

That was a main topic in local mat circles today, with Nagurski in town
after winding up his football comeback season with the Chicago Bears
Sunday.

Promoter Tony Stecher said he believed the condition of Nagurski's
trick knee would be the determining factor.

If Nagurski, twice heavyweight champion, does decide on another
wrestling fling, he'll need ask no favors from anybody, according to
Bill Kuusisto, also a former Gopher and star guard of the Green Bay
Packers.

"I played against Nagurski twice during the season," Kuusisto declared,
"and you can put me on record as saying that Bronko is still as good as
any tackle in the pro football league."

The Nag's decision is expected to be made shortly in a conference
scheduled with Stecher.
____________________________________

NAGURSKI THIRD IN LIST OF COMEBACKS

Bronko Nagurski's feat of returning to pro football to star with the
Chicago Bears (after being absent from the gridiron since 1937) gained
him third place in the Associated Press poll on the nation's best
comeback feats.

Amos Alonzo Stagg, coach at College of the Pacific, was named No. 1 and
Patty Berg, Minneapolis' golfing sweetheart, No. 2.
_____________________________________

THE NIGHT many years ago that George Hackenschmidt, the Russian Lion,
and Henry Ordeman wrestled until after two o'clock in the morning at
the Auditorium, which by the way is now the Lyceum Theatre? Hack won
this bout after subjecting Ordeman to a first-class going over.

WHEN FRANK A. GOTCH, one of the best mat performers the world has ever
produced, met big John Gordon, Minneapolis' policeman-wrestler and two
other local heavyweights in a handicap affair in which Gotch agreed to
toss each man once in sixty minutes of actual grappling? . . . And, he
did. The bout was held in the Peerless garage on Fifth street and Fifth
avenue, a capacity crowd was on hand to greet Gotch who was making his
initial appearance in Minneapolis.

WHEN WALTER MILLER, St. Paul's crack welterweight, and Otto Suter, of
Cleveland, grappled until far, far into the night at the St. Paul
Auditorium, without either man gaining a fall? The bout was stopped by
the Humane Scoiety!

WHEN WRESTLING matches were staged at Normanna Hall on Third street and
Thirteenth avenue south? George Barton, now dean of Northwest sports
writers, then on the old Daily News, and Frank Force, sports editor of
the old Tribune, were the promoters and their monthly shows on the
third floor of the building used to draw houses packed to the rafters.

WHEN A GUY by the name of Billy B. Hoke used to referee practically all
of the mat contests staged in Minneapolis and vicinity?

WHEN THURSDAY NIGHT was "rasslin'" night at the Gayety Theatre which
was managed by Harry Hirsch, now at the Alvin? Many of the leading mat
men of this era strutted their stuff before those enthusiastic
audiences.

TOM RUSSELL, policeman wrestler and his several vicious matches with
Joe Carr, who was perhaps one of the very best middleweights this
country ever produced? Russell and John Albrecht, now a sergeant on the
local police force, also used to tangle every now and then and these
battles were always dandies. Russell is proprietor of a tavern on
Marquette avenue, Albrecht can retire if he chooses from the force with
a pension, and Carr is seen now and then about the city. However, he
has not been in good health for some time.

WHEN WOMEN didn't get in for nix?

HARRY MILLS, a wrestler who weighed about 142 pounds, who could fasten
more holds on an opponent with his feet and legs than the average star
of today can apply with his arms and hands? Oldtimers who get together
still talk about the Mills-Matsuda match held at the Gayety, which went
until the referee (Billy B. Hoke) disqualified Mills for slugging.
Mills is still in Minneapolis and is an upholsterer.
__________________________________________

I am trying to find information about a wrestler who wrestled in
Louisville,Ky at the Columbia Gym around 1951. He wrestled under the
name of "The Young Frank Gotch" I believe his real name might have
been EddieGotch or possible Edward Gotch. We know he wrestled circuits
in Kentucky and possible southern Indiana during the 1930's and 40's. A
partial press clipping of a evening of matches (UNKNOWN DATE) we feel
that took place at the Columbia Gym in Louisville, had the following
wrestlers named, The Welch Brothers, Black-Smith Pedigo, and a
"Scottie" Williams.

Any Information about Gotch or anyplace else to look would be
appreciated. Thanks for your time......Phil

(ED. NOTE--Lighter weight Southern grapplers not exactly my long suit,
but the Welch brothers and Scotty Williams were certainly familiar and
well known matmen, the latter traveling from coast to coast during his
career. The Welch brothers may have had a brief foray into the
Portland, Oregon, territory in 1938, too. If anyone can come to Mr.
Huston's aid, please do so -- and copy us with any info you might be
able to supply.)
_________________________________________

I am looking for information on a wrestler from the turn of the
century. His name is Jack Carkeek, I know that he was wrestling in
Scotland in 1901-3 (I have copies of the playbill), but I know very
little about him, his birth and that he died in Cuba on 12 March 1924,
and that his obituary listed his wife, son and a married daughter in
Illinois. He was a headliner at the Empire Theatre in Glasgow,
Scotland. His obit conflicts with the stories that we were told, by his
son and then his grandson, which say that he was rolled, left naked and
dead in an alley in Havana, Cuba. Could you point me in the right
direction to find information on him?

Hi, I just found this site and am so excited!!! Another fan? Not
exactly. I am the daughter of promoter John Doyle. I believe partners
with Toots Mondt during those famous New York days. Also partners with
Jim Barnett (who we would love to find if he's still around) and Vince
McMahon Sr.

Because I was an only child (His son never lived with us) I grew up at
the matches. We were close with so many people, The Tolos Brothers, I
was a kid and introduced them as "Greasies" (thought that was the
plural for Greeks). Edouard Carpentier -- John was always jealous of
him cuz my Mom liked him. My first love was Emile Dupre, also my first
kiss and first date. So many memories! Tolos Bros., Brunetti Bros., Roy
Shires (John started him in SF). Mike Mazurki, Dick the Bruiser, Wilbur
Snyder, Verne Gagne, etc. etc.

I am a writer/producer putting together a biography series for
television entitled Wrestling with the Past and am looking for a lead
on info. given to me by Johnny Valentine. He mentioned being the first
Caucasian to wrestle an African American in The Houston Coliseum in
1956 but he could not remember his opponent's name nor the name of
promoter. I wondered if you might know, know of a newspaper/magazine
that might have covered the match, and/or if you could point me in the
direction of someone who might have been involved. (Johnny's one of
about twenty legends that have committed to doing the show. )

I can be reached at JDolin7727@aol.com.

I hope to hear from you.

Kind regards,

John Dolin
Toronto

(ED. NOTE: My first guess would be McKinley Pickens, an approximate
280-pounder who had a number of bouts for various promoters attached to
the Houston office in the late '50s and early '60s. I rather guess that
1956 is a bit early for Tiger Conway, the first very popular black
wrestler in East Texas history -- but there are plenty of people on the
WAWLI mailing list who might offer up even more concrete info. Morris
Sigel was the Houston promoter, of course -- he'd been at that stand
for 40 years by the mid-'50s. When he died, a decade or so later, the
mantel was turned over to Paul Boesch, who kept a great wrestling town
humming until the early 1980s. But, again, there may be some firsthand
knowledge somewhere around our merry little band of wrestling
enthusiasts. If so, please tell Mr. Dolin what he needs to know and,
yes, please send me a copy so I can get smartened up.)__________________________________________________

The WAWLI Papers #218...

CITY GOT A FULL DOSE OF FEMALE WRESTLERS

(Florida Times-Union, December 3, 1997)

By Bill Foley, Columnist

Steker was the name, pilgrim.

Airplane spin was her game.

Out of the West Stella Steker came the fall of 1937 to the Main and Beaver
arena, to settle questions long nettling the mind of man.

Could a good brunette whip a good blonde?

Could a grapplerette whomp a grunt and groaner?

Lived there a woman in this whole great land who could best Mildred Burke,
women's wrestling champeen of the entire meaningful world?

Stella Steker was a bit of a mystery. George Romanoff wanted it that way.
Romanoff was commencing a legend when he brought Stella Steker to town.

He announced wrestling henceforth would be held at the arena each Tuesday and
Friday, ''with good performers gracing both programs.''

Romanoff, himself, was somewhat a man of mystery. He, too, was an erstwhile
grappler but, more, was said to be of the Russian royal family.

Either that or the original Tarzan, depending on what saloon you heard it in.
Women had wrestled in Jacksonville before, but it had been more than a year
since the mat-gals clashed at the local sport emporium.

And Stella would not be dumped on the undercard, where female wrestlers
usually were billed, down there with the midgets and the battle royal.

This November it would be the Texas Dobie Osbornes and Red Devil Guthries in
the prelims. The mysterious Stella Steker would head the card.

''Miss Steker, mythical holder of the women's championship of Arizona, is a
shapely miss,'' said The Florida Times-Union.

''Her specialty, the spectacular airplane spin, went over big in Mexico, where
she proved too much for the Senoritas of that territory.''

Nor would the airplane-spinning Arizonan be going against chopped liver.

Popular Dora Dean was coming to town.

Dora Dean, the favorite blonde of the wrestling world, was said in polite
terms to be the protege of Man Mountain Dean, Georgia's contribution to
wrestling legend. Man Mountain taught Dora the flying scissors, which she
used to great advantage.

Between Stella Steker's airplane spin and Dora Dean's flying scissors a
tremendous aerial clash. The flower of local Sporting Life packed the arena.
Stella pinned the Dixie darling in 13 minutes.

She fought lean, mean, down and dirty and got booed and hissed.

''The dark-haired Arizonan, who protrayed the role of villain that would have
done credit to other 'rough' artists like Machine Gun Jack Evko, clamped on an
airplane spin to end the festivities,'' the Times-Union said.

''Miss Dean displayed by far a larger number of holds, including Irish whips,
back-body drops and an assortment of arm locks but could not cope with the
hair-pulling tactics of her opponent.''

Romanoff announced Stella Steker's next assault on Southern wrestledom would
be the next week against local wrestler George Cowart.

''Miss Steker promises to give her male opponent plenty of trouble,'' said the
Jacksonville Journal.

''Bob holds an edge in the weights but is not expecting to have an easy time
of it in the one-hour time limit,'' said the Times-Union.

Eleven minutes.

In two minutes less than it took her to launch Dora Dean Stella Steker whapped
an airplane spin on wrestler George and dusted him off amid the boos and
catcalls of the multitude, with nary a vicious hair-pull.

What next for the Arizona stranger?

Deep, deep water. Mildred Burke had had enough with the Western upstart.
Romanoff stilled the local sporting crowd into hushed apprehension: Mildred
Burke would fight Stella Steker, right here in the Main and Beaver street
arena.

Burke came into the ring with a gold championship belt the papers said was
worth $2,500, back when that was real money. She had recently won it from
Clara Mortenson in New York City.

Tension was thick as the smoke over the ring as Steker and Burke climbed
through the ropes. The jam-packed crowd already had seen Cowboy Dobie,
Machine-Gun Jack and Florida state champ Allen Eustace win their
matches.

Fourteen minutes.

''The champ did not have an easy time of it,'' the Times-Union said. ''Miss
Steker unleashed all her holds, but to no avail. Both of the tusslerettes
landed in the aisle on one occasion and delighted the audience further by
ripping off referee Gus Pappas's undershirt.''

Mildred ended it with a ''neatly executed body slam.''

Three weeks, three bouts, 38 minutes; three matches that each drew more people
to see wrestling in Jacksonville than any bout that did not involve Jack
Dempsey, and the undisputed winner by a unanimous decision, with a nice assist
from shaply brunette Arizona grapplerette Stella Steker, was promoter George
Romanoff, a member of the Russian royal family or the original Tarzan,
depending on which saloon you heard it in.
________________________________________

PRO WRESTLING STILL HAS A GRIP ON FANS

(Florida Times-Union, Tuesday, January 13, 1998)

By Mike Bianchi

This column is about professional wrestling.

I will completely understand if you turn the page.

In terms of lapses in professional judgment, I admit that my decision to write
this column ranks right up there with Gus Frerotte's head-butting of a wall
and Tom Cruise signing off on the Cocktail script. And, yes, I'm fully aware
that there aren't many athletic endeavors lower in the pecking order to the
serious-minded sports fan than pro wrestling. In fact, I can only think of
two:

Aerobics and the Humanitarian Bowl.

With all that said, let me also point out there are a disturbing number of
otherwise intelligent sports fans who are fanatical about pro wrestling. My
sports editor at the T-U knows Sir Oliver Humperdink personally. My other boss
at the T-U has attended as many Wrestlemania events as I've been to
Springsteen concerts. The copy editor who proofread this column last night can
tell you the kinesic differences between the Scorpion Death Drop and the
Flying Choke Slam.

And in case you were wondering, last night's World Championship Wrestling
Monday Nitro Live show at the Coliseum drew a sellout crowd of 9,500 fans (it
is believed the entire city of Palatka was in attendance), which is just
a smidgen less than Jacksonville University will draw for its entire 13-game
home basketball schedule. Instead of recruiting shooting guards, maybe JU
coach Hugh Durham should sign a 330-pound bleached-blond juicer with 23-inch
biceps and hair on his back.

And we're not even including the estimated 10.4 million viewers who watched
Nitro on TNT, which makes it cable's leading weekly primetime series -- ahead
of such heady fare as A&E's Biography.

It's unbelievable how many people have become infatuated with this weekly soap
opera for the testosterone-obsessed. Back when I was a kid, we used
to go to the matches at the Coliseum on Thursday nights, but it was never
anything so elaborately corporate or choreographed as this.

In the old days, the entire technical setup consisted of a ring, a lighting
truss and four posts. Last night, Nitro arrived in three semi trucks and came
complete with indoor fireworks, stereophonic sound and laser light shows.

You call this wrestling? I call it a KISS concert. There were painted faces,
pierced body parts and huge men yelling abusive things at one another -- and
these were the fans. The WCW even employs scantily clad dancing girls and
has its own officially licensed mascot. Then again, so do the Jaguars.

The Great Malenko and Eddie Graham, may they rest in peace, would do Spinning
Toe Holds in their graves right now if they knew what had become of their
''sport.''

There are still elaborate robes and mysterious masked men and incompetent
referees and heroes and heels and enough bad acting to rival Sylvester
Stallone in Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot. But, like everything else these days,
wrestling is marketed toward the 15-year-old teenage boy with too much money
in his piggy bank. We are raising an entire generation of pyromaniacs with
baggy shorts and their hats turned around backward.

Even the lines between good and evil are blurred now. It used to be you knew
who the good guys and the bad guys were, but now the bad guys get cheered as
much as the good guys. The bad guys in the WCW are a revolutionary group of
cads who refer to themselves as the ''New World Order'' (NWO). As the plot
line goes, the good guys in the WCW are under siege by the bad guys in the
NWO. And judging by the multitude of NWO
T-shirts flying off the vending shelves last night, the bad guys are winning.

''Times have definitely changed,'' says Bobby Heenan, a former wrestler who
now does color commentary on the Nitro telecasts. ''The change doesn't bother
me at all. My paychecks are a lot bigger now. In the old days, we drove from
town to town in cars and ate bologna on the way. Now, I fly and eat bad
nuts.''

Not even the wrestlers are what they used to be. They arrive at events in
limos accompanied by their agents and personal fitness trainers. Their pre-
match meal yesterday was comprised of grilled mahi-mahi, pasta and fruit
salad.

Sting, one of the WCW's many millionaire stars, owns a 40-acre ranch in
Georgia, where he raises thoroughbred horses. A writer interviewed him last
year and reported that gourmet food and golf magazines lined his elegant
home office. This is a guy who wears war paint at night and practices his
putting and eats tofu by day.

''Pro wrestling has become a brawl,'' says Don Curtis, a former pro
wrestler/promoter who lives in Jacksonville.

''The people running things and participating today don't care about the sport
of wrestling, they only care about making a buck. Money is God to them.''

Sounds like pro wrestling is a ''real'' sport after all.
__________________________________________

WRESTLING COMPETITION WAS FIERCE IN 1920

(Florida Times-Union, Thursday, February 19, 1998)

By Bill Foley, Columnist

The great ideas are the simple ones.

Assuming that one takes the cynical view the curious event of Feb. 20, 1920
was in fact an idea.

As opposed to all that was honest and true and spontaneous in professional
wrestling until that time.

The simple part is a given.

Professional wrestling had always been vigorous in Jacksonville.

It had hitherto been a manly art, practiced by proponents of physical culture
commonly called ''Professor.''

After World War I pro wrestling became quite heady.

The Roaring '20s had arrived.

Sport was a celebration of life. Watching sports became a celebration of life.

Drinking bootleg whiskey while watching sports became a pure-dee celebration
of life.

The year in Jacksonville wrestling began in a high-toner manner. Two months
later the sport was on the primrose path to Wrestlemania.

The match would take place at the Businessmen's Gymnasium at 122 W. Forsyth
St.

''Indications point to a record-setting crowd,'' The Florida Times-Union
reported.

''A large number of ticket reservations have been made by lady fans, among
whom Turner and Allbright are great favorites on account of their clean and
scientific wrestling. The management has given assurance that every
provision will be made for the comfort of the ladies and that nothing
offensive will be permitted.''

History records Turner retained his Police Gazette Gold Belt, two falls to
one. Two outstanding amateur preliminaries preceded the main event and a good
time was had by all, including the ladies, even though cigar smoking was
allowed and there was no air-conditioning.

Obviously this was a good thing and, as with all good things, there was room
for more. The Duval Theater, a couple blocks away, got into the wrestling act.
Rival cards sprouted each week.

One arena would bring in a Japanese martial arts champion, the other would
bring in a heavy named Fritz. The bookings became intense.

Stanislaus Zbyszko, lionized in Petrograd, came to town. Cora Armstrong,
middleweight women's champion of the good old U.S. of A., whipped Canadian
champion Grace Brady, a sturdy lass from Fond du Lac, Wis.

Barrett and Bowser took on all comers. Mike Yokel and Bull Walker, household
names in rather curious households, hit town. The powerful cruiserweights,
Marvin and Herman, neither of them ever called professor, hit the local mats.

Obviously, the sport was nearing critical mass. A breakthrough occurred the
Friday night of Feb. 20 at the Duval Theater.

Jimmy Demetral of Chicago was to take on Joe Diafbo, the California Italian,
in the main event. Kid Kottas had just beaten Augustus Kalas in the prelim.
Jack Ross, veteran grappler, was in the ring. I don't know why.

Suddenly a stranger stepped from the audience. He began saying challenging
things to Ross, I suppose stuff like ''You're a lily-livered wimp,'' and ''My
grandma could break your arms!''

The stranger strode to the stage as the audience looked on in wonder.

''The challenger, who said his name was George Pardello, was a big, raw-boned
individual,'' The Florida Metropolis reported. Ross beckoned him to combat.
The audience oohed and aahed. Seconds from the scheduled bout the ring was
cleared and a street-fight commenced.

''[Pardello's] idea of wrestling was between the Savate, the French style of
boxing, and the Marquis of Queensbury rules,'' the newspaper said. ''He also
introduced some high-class holds with his teeth.

''Ross locked him with a body hold but let loose when his adversary bit his
toe. They stood up and slugged. The crowd was in a high state of glee.

''Ross jumped on his opponent's head with both feet. Pardello leaned over and
Ross grabbed his legs. Pardello retaliated with a right swing to the jaw.''

Thus it continued for 15 minutes. Kicking and punching, ''Ross finding it the
only manner of defense when his opponent refused to wrestle cleanly.''

''Once Ross had his foe's shoulders almost to the canvas when the stranger bit
him and Ross shot up like a rocket, grabbed a chair and swung it at his
opponent's head . . .

The stranger at one time got Ross at the end of the mat,
rolled it up over him, obscuring him from view, and then sat down on the mat,
trying to pin Ross's shoulders.''

The newspaper never said who won. Its account concluded:

''The bout was a scream. Ross would doubtless have won had real wrestling
ruled.''

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Glamour has come into its own among the grunt-and-groaners.Taking a tip from their svelte sisters of the silver
screen, the "ladywrestlers" are
abandoning freak costumes and ghastly grimaces for manicures,marcels
and maidenly charm.Mildred
Burke, Kansas City cutie who queens it over the distaff side of thegrapple
circuit and has a gem-studded belt to prove her championship claims,sets
the fashions.The rest of the
gals are doing their best. But the inevitable signs of wear-and-tear
brought on by one-night stands in sundry rings from coast to coastare
major problems for the beauticians.Elvira
Snodgrass, Smokey Mountain, Tenn., husky who stalked the streets inweird
calicos and sunbonnets when it was the fashion for the feminine toe-twisters
to attract crowds by emphasizing the grotesque, is a convert to thenew
system. She appears on the streets now garbed only in sheer prints, highheels
and the best the beauty shop affords.Arena
dressing rooms on "ladies night" now look more like backstage at thegirly-girly show than an athletic establishment.
Instead of mussing theirlocks, reddening
their knuckles and practicing deep-throated noises, the galsspend
the last minutes before entering the ring applying lipstick, mascara androuge.But their mat antics haven't changed much. In
action, the fems still followthe slug-'em,
mug-'em fashion set by the bad boys of the padded canvas. Andcustomers
lap it up.Maybe it's the
contrast that gets 'em.Nobody
seems prepared when that dainty little brunette with the come-hithereyes
suddenly pole-axes the buxom blonde and then kicks the inoffensivereferee
through the ropes into the lap of the bald-headed fat man in the frontrow.(The Associated Press sent out an accompanying
picture, caption to which read:"Not
chorines but wrestlers are these, busy adding last minute make-up beforetheir
appearance in the ring. Converts to the new glamour process they are,left
to right, (standings) Mae Weston, Gladys "Killem" Gillem and ElviraSnodgrass; (seated) World's Champion Mildred Burke,
Rose Evans and Mae Young.The photo and story
ran in newspapers all over North America.)

ROTHENBERG ON PARK'S MUSCLE CARD TONIGHT

(Hudson County Dispatch, Friday, September 10, 1943)

There'll be big doings at Columbia Park in North Bergen tonight and a goodlyportion of the crowd which will flood the old
structure will hail from BergenCounty.The reason for Bergen's interest in tonight's doings
is Murray Rothenberg, ofcourse. Murray's the
husky ex-Bergen Record Diamond Glover, ex-pro footballer,ex-everything,
who has now turned to rassling. 'Tisn't exaggerating a bit toclass
Murray as Bergen's Dizzy Dean. But, like Dizzy, Murray always delivers.He started as a footballer at Teaneck High. Hudson
County fans will rememberhim for his
performances against the Zuccaros in days gone by. Rothenberg waslisted
in Teaneck Red Devils' backfield but most of the time he was in UnionCity's
backfield, they say. He also played with the Clifton Wessingtons. Lateron,
he coached football.Coincident
with his football playing, Murray dabbled in boxing. He figured inseveral
spectacular Diamond Glove bouts in Hackensack. Sports Editor Al DelGreco
tabbed him the King Levinsky of Bergen boxing. The customers came indroves
to see Rothenberg licked; but, unlike Levinsky, Rothenberg was not "ina transom." Invariably, he won.He fought professionally, too, appearing several
times at Englewood whereJackie Farrell and
Jimmy Brienza had promotional flings.Of
recent years, he has given more and more attention to rassling. He studiedjiu jitsu from a Jap chef at Bergen College. He
studied the Fairbairn systemof commando
training. All this came in handy in his daily routine as PlantProtection
Supervisor for the Magor Car Corp. of Clifton, which is engaged indefense
work. He went the limit in this line, too. He taught hand to handgrappling
and judo to several army units stationed in northern New Jersey. Andhe
finally said to himself, he said, "Why not go into this businessprofessionally?"He had a fling at it years ago in a mild sort of
way. On a dare, more thananything else, he
figured in a tour during which he had eight matches. Won 'emall,
too.Friday night last he
appeared against Chief Bamba Tabu at the Park and helicked
the chief. So Promoter Ralph Mondt, anxious to develop some real localtalent,
signed him again. Tonight he meets far tougher opposition in theperson
of John Vansky. He'll need all he's got to get past John.Tonight's
final rumpus will send Chief Thunderbird against Bad Babe Sharkey.The
fans appear to be more interested, however, in the tag team match slatedfor
tonight. This shindig will pit Maurice LaChappelle and Tony Martinelliagainst
Michele Leone and Dick Lever.Rounding
out the card will be tussles between Tony Milano and the Blue Streakand
Abe Yourist and Dick Lever.(ED.
NOTE--After all this buildup in the local papers, North Bergen, N.J.,wrestling
fans had to bear the disappointment of only seeing Murray Rothenbergduring
the pre-match introductions that night. He, reportedly, had come downwith
a case of poison oak and was unable to wrestle. Dr. John Bonica took hisplace
and flopped Vansky. Sharkey won the main event from Thunderbird, AbeYourist
defeated the Red Czar, Leone and Lever tossed Martinelli andLaChappelle,
while the Blue Streak downed Milano.)___________________________________________

VON ERICHS' PATRIARCH DEAD AT 68

(The Associated Press, Sept. 10, 1997)

By Chris Newton

DALLAS -- Jack Adkisson, patriarch of the famed Texas wrestling family the VonErichs, died at his Denton County home Wednesday
about two months after he wasdiagnosed with
cancer. He was 68.Adkisson, who
went by the name Fritz Von Erich during a 35-year wrestlingcareer,
was diagnosed in July with lung cancer that had spread to his brainand
adrenal glands.A statement from
the family said he died of a brain tumor at his home in LakeDallas,
about 20 miles north of Dallas.Adkisson
and his five sons were long associated with wrestling triumph inTexas.
Five sons -- Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike and Chris -- also wrestled underthe
Von Erich name.Jack Adkisson for
years produced a syndicated wrestling show, World ClassChampionship
Wrestling, that was seen in 66 U.S. television markets, Japan,Argentina
and the Middle East.But in
recent years, there has mostly been pain. Five of Jack Adkisson's sonspreceded
him in death. One died as a child in the 1950s, three committedsuicide
since 1987 and the fifth died of an apparent drug overdose in 1984.The only surviving son is the oldest, Kevin, 40."We would like to express thanks to the fans
and the community for theirprayers, love and
support," Kevin Adkisson said in the statement. "Dad lovedthem
very much."David, probably
the best wrestler of the sons, died at the age of 25 in 1984from
an apparent overdose while on a wrestling tour of Japan. Suicide claimedthe
lives of Mike, 23, in 1987; Chris, 21, in 1991; and Kerry, 33, in 1993.Another
son, Jack Jr., died at the age of 7 in 1959 from electrical shock."It hurt him desperately," said Tom
Pulley, a longtime friend of the VonErichs.
"It's hard for any of us to imagine losing one son, much less fivesons.
It changed his life and it definitely took the wind out of his sails."Until Fritz Von Erich retired in 1980, he was one of
the stars of professionalwrestling. The
former Southern Methodist and Dallas Texans lineman stood6-foot-4
and weighed 260 pounds. He turned to wrestling in the 1950s afterbeing
injured.The Von Erichs once
wrestled in front of 40,000 people at Texas Stadium andregularly
filled the arenas where they competed.In
their heyday, the Von Erichs were the good guys of the wrestling world,vanquishing
trash-talking, loudmouthed wrestlers in black garb. Ironically,the
continuing family tragedies brought them -- and their sport -- even morefame.Pulley said Fritz Von Erich had a vision for what
wrestling could be ontelevision."What he did back in the 80s really started
wrestling on television," Pulleysaid.
"There's no question that the brains behind what you see today was FritzVon Erich ... It took wrestling from being a small
regional sport to beinginternational in
scope, and I give him the credit for that."Jack
Adkisson is survived by his son Kevin, daughter-in-law Pam, their fourchildren
and two other grandchildren. He and his wife, Doris, divorced severalyears
ago.Family members said they
would receive friends of Jack Adkisson at a memorialservice
on Saturday at First Baptist Church in Dallas. No funeral or gravesideservices
were planned.___________________________________________

THIS TIME, MARTIN WILL DROP HIS GLOVES

(Philadelphia Inquirer, Wednesday, April 29, 1998)

By Jay Searcy

Tony Martin, the fighting postal worker from Philadelphia who went 10 roundswith legendary Mexican champion Julio Cesar Chavez
last year, is launching anew career. He's
following Mike Tyson into professional wrestling.Martin,
37, who holds the U.S. Boxing Association and North American BoxingFederation
welterweight titles, has agreed to fight a 26-year-old heavyweightwrestler
from Baltimore named Flexx Wheeler, a 5-foot-6, 225-pound fireplugwho
is 60 pounds heavier and 11 years younger.The
rules are somewhat hazy, but it is generally understood that just abouteverything
will be permitted -- punching, kicking and wrestling -- except ear-chewing.So Martin, who insists this is not the end to his
boxing career, finds himselfsurrounded by a
new supporting cast that includes King Kong Bundy and TheMongolian.
Also, as a special added attraction at the six-bout show, promoterIzzy
Aviles promises a lot of celebrities will be present, including MarvisFrazier
and Fred the Elephant Boy.Martin's
titles won't be on the line, but he will be fighting for a colorfulplastic
belt adorned with genuine colored glass ornaments. More important,Martin
said he will be fighting to uphold the honor of his sport against, youknow,
that pro wrestling stuff. So naturally, Wheeler is fighting to defendthe
good name of pro wrestling.The
show was announced at a news conference Monday on the steps of the 30thStreet
Post Office, an event you might have missed since it was conducted in achilling
25-mile-an-hour wind.The idea
for the match came about quite by coincidence. Martin just happenedto
be at a local wrestling match at the Blue Horizon last month, and Wheelerjust happened to be there at the same time.This is all very true, both parties agree. Or mostly
true.Martin, the boxing champ,
was being introduced to the wrestling crowd whenWheeler,
the Grande Wrestling Association American heavyweight champion,jumped
into the ring, interrupted the announcer, and dissed the boxingchampion.
He called Martin a fake to his face and challenged him to an actualfight,
and just about everybody at the Blue Horizon overheard him.Including
-- get this -- a promoter! (He just happened to be in the crowd. Nokidding.)Anyhow, Martin, who usually lets his manager handle
such things, was so upsetby the brash
Wheeler that he accepted the challenge on the spot, and -- thisis
the truest part of the story -- the bout will take place Saturday night atthe Salvation Army Gymnasium, 1340 Brown St., at
7:30, $12 general admission,$20 ringside.Martin, a mail sorter and father of three, has a
34-6-1 record with 12knockouts in a pro
career that has run 13 years. Wheeler, a former high schoolrunning
back, does not remember what his ring record is, but he thinks he isundefeated,
so the promotional releases say that.It
turns out Wheeler is undefeated only since November, but the whole thingprobably
was just a misunderstanding with the printer. Anyhow, Wheeler hasn'tlost
in a very long time.Wheeler
derided Martin again at Monday's news conference, and Martin, whodidn't
have a lot to say the first time they met, gave it right back to him.Both
were very loud, trying to shout down each other, which scared a lot ofpeople
who were mailing letters, but not Martin(secretly,
he has been taking wrestling lessons and seems very confident).To their credit, Martin and Wheeler kept the
rhetoric fairly clean. Tyson saysa lot
worse.Martin was cheered by a
hometown post-office crowd of 14 when he wasintroduced.
Wheeler was not cheered by anyone, mainly because Aviles forgot tointroduce
him.Martin confirmed that this
match represents a sharp turn in his career, butafter
all, George Foreman once fought five guys in one night, Muhammad Alifought
a Japanese wrestler who scooted around the ring like a crab, and whatabout
Tyson? He did that Wrestlemania thing on pay-per-view, and for what?Four
million dollars.At least Martin
is doing this for no good reason.
_______________________________________

FYI: COURT SUIT REVEALS FLAIR PAY CHECKS

(Tampa Tribune, Wednesday April 22, 1998)

ATLANTA - World Championship Wrestling Inc. wants to grapple with superstarRic "the Nature Boy" Flair in a new ring:
court.The Atlanta-based
wrestling corporation has sued Flair for $2 million inFulton
County Superior Court. It says Flair broke the three-year, $1.95million
deal they inked in November by missing a series of performances thisyear.Flair's no-shows played havoc with the script of the
wildly popularproductions, the suit says.Flair, 49, born Richard Morgan Fliehr, did not
return phone calls. Neither didattorney
James Lamberth, who filed the suit for the wrestling group.Flair's
contract says he would be paid $725,000 for this year, $725,000 for1999,
and $500,000 for 2000.________________________________________

DOCUMENTARY GRAPPLES WITH PRO WRESTLING

(Winston-Salem, N.C., Journal, April 25, 1998)

By Ronald C. Jordan

''It's a sport without rules, where nobody keeps score.

''There are no clear winners, yet no one seems to care.

''It's a soap opera with a referee. A melodrama of mayhem. A controlled riot,that pauses for commercials.'' --Steve Allen

The subject is professional wrestling. The venue is a two-hour documentaryabout the sport that, for nearly 100 years, has
captured and managed to holdthe attention of
millions of people. Narrated by veteran entertainer SteveAllen,
The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling (8 p.m. Sunday on the Arts &Entertainment network), purports to expose ''one of
America's most personal,private passions''
and ''reveals the whole truth behind the amazing athlete-showmen
who make it possible.''

It also raises, and attempts to answer, many of the questions about wrestlingthat have long gone unanswered.

For example, if wrestling is sport, how come you won't findtonight's
winners on tomorrow's sports pages? What about the rules? Or, arethere
any? If there are, why doesn't the referee enforce them?

How many champions are there in professional wrestling? How do you tell theheroes from the villains when they keep changing
places? What do all thosehand signals
mean?''

And, oh yes, the question that everybody always asks, though most think theyalready know the answer: Is professional wrestling
fake?

Allen leaves the answers to these questions to those who know best, thewrestlers
and promoters.

''We do a magic show,'' says Vince McMahon, a wrestlingpromoter
and the owner of the World Wrestling Federation. ''But we're notgoing
to tell you how we make our magic.''

''It's entertainment,'' explains Diamond Dallas Page, a professional wrestler.''But so is basketball. So is football.''

''For those who believe, you don't need an explanation,'' adds Jeff Jarrett,who is also a professional wrestler. ''For those who
don't believe, noexplanation will do.''

The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling presents a thorough history of the''sport,'' tracing the evolution of wrestling as the
first competitive sport,before baseball,
basketball or boxing, from noble amateur contest to theoutrageous
entertainment spectacle it has become.

Included in the account is an incident from in the early 1900s that resultedin professional wrestling's first blemish. The story
alleges that famouswrestler Frank Gotch, who
was afraid he was about to lose his wrestling title,paid
a goon $5,000 to hurt Gotch's opponent. When the media exposed theincident,
fans turned their backs on wrestling.

There are also bits of trivia. For instance, former U.S. PresidentsWashington,
Lincoln, Taylor, Taft and Coolidge were all wrestlers. Plato,whose
name means ''broad-shouldered,'' was also a grappler.

Wrestling had its beginnings among the Egyptians. TheGreco-Roman
style of wrestling came from the Greeks and the Romans, and inJapan,
Sumo wrestling is as old as the culture. In India, where matchescommonly
lasted for hours, wrestling was called the ''King of Games.''

American Indians staged wrestling contests long before the first Europeansettlers arrived. A number of other wrestling
figures appear in thedocumentary, including
Lou Thesz, Verne Gagne, Killer Kowalski, Dusty Rhodes,Ric
Flair, Sergeant Slaughter and Randy Savage.

Surprisingly, there is no mention of Jim Crockett Sr., the promoter whoseNational Wrestling Alliance dominated the Mid-south
during the 1960s and '70sand ultimately
became World Championship Wrestling. But McMahon, who was firstto
go national with his televised wrestling program, is credited with givingprofessional wrestling national exposure.

Don't expect any admissions that matches are staged, scripted or pre-planned,though most people who follow professional wrestling
know that wrestling isHollywood -- theatrics
and drama mixed with high-risk acrobatics. The closestthing
to true confessions admission comes from Hulk Hogan, who talks rathercandidly
about his pre-arranged win over Andre the Giant in 1993 atWrestlemania.This is two hours of good wrestling history about a
sport where, for years,some of the world's
best athletes have engaged in a bizarre ritualized fantasyof
good vs. evil.

I do remember Paul Bowser -- I was very impressed! Nice man, already elderly(in my memory) at the time. Had this huge gorgeous
house, loved dachsunds --but what blew my
child mind, he had a race track in his backyard! True! Hewas
head of the Harness Racing Assoc. and had his own stables and trainingtrack.
I thought that was amazing!! I
would walk down with him and watch the timed runs early in the morning. Inretrospect -- I just discussed this with my Mom --
everyone was alwaysextremely nice to me. And
I was a bit pesty cuz I adored the guys so much. Nota
single memory of rudeness or even abruptness. That says a lot.There are people I would like remembered, too: Hardy
Kruskamp, Les Ruffin, SamMenacker, etc.My very first memory is sitting in, like, a
screening room and watching a filmon
Antonino Rocca that John brought to show people. He would end up signing tosponsor him in this country.Victoria_________________________________________

The WAWLI Papers
# 220...

(ED. NOTE--This, and the next, issue of The WAWLI Papers
will depart from the regular focus on "Wrestling As We Liked It" to reveal some
of the growing mainstream interest in today's product, as presented by the WWF and WCW.
Dan Tobin's "Why I Love Wrestling" came out the week of Wrestlemania, while the
"Pro Wrestling Pins the NBA!" piece -- due up in WAWLI No. 221 -- shows Monday
night mat shows burying National Basketball Association playoffs in the cable television
ratings. While one is left to wonder what sort of mainstream media attention "golden
era"-style professional mat shows might be attracting, there is growing evidence that
whatever Messers. McMahon and Bischoff are serving up is getting the job done -- at least
where their wallets are concerned. We'll return to the past in WAWLI No. 222.)
_____________________________________________

WHY I LOVE WRESTLING (and why you should, too)

(The Boston Phoenix, Mar. 26-Apr. 2, 1998)

By Dan Tobin

As a pro wrestling fan, I have to defend myself a lot. Not defend in the sense of blocking
a double-arm suplex -- more like justify my love for what a lot of people consider a
pseudosport. Sure, wrestling might not command
the respect of "real" sports like baseball or hockey or monster-truck racing.

It might not get much mainstream press coverage, and maybe evolutionists would rather
pretend it didn't exist. But professional wrestling is older than Bob Dole, bigger than
Scientology, and now -- as the World Wrestling
Federation's Wrestlemania XIV stomps into the FleetCenter this Sunday -- it's in our back
yard.

With Mike Tyson taking a turn as "rule enforcer" at Sunday's main event, the
world's interest in professional wrestling has reached a peak not seen since Hulk Hogan
teamed up with Mr. T at the original Wrestlemania in
1985. Laugh if you want, but Wrestlemania XIV is the most sought-after ticket in the
FleetCenter's brief history: it sold out, according to publicists, in 90 seconds. You can
bet our local news outlets will cover the event, and you
can guess how: they'll mock it. They'll say Tyson's involvement with pro wrestling is a
fate worse than prison.

But they'll be wrong. Pro wrestling is not only fantastic entertainment, it's a cultural
phenomenon. It produces epic battles worthy of Homer, and the most pointed morality tales
since Hawthorne. Still not convinced wrestling will
save mankind? Here are 11 reasons to love what the WWF and its rival, World Championship
Wrestling (WCW), serve up:

1. Satisfaction is guaranteed. Sports are among the few things in life where nobody knows
the outcome beforehand. That's what makes them exciting. And, let's face it, that's also
what makes them disappointing. For every buzzer-beating three-pointer or ninth-inning
grand slam, there are 50 games that end with a called third strike, or some putz holding
onto the ball while the clock ticks down. Zzzz.

Not so in pro wrestling. Every match promises a monumental, bigger-than-life victory,
courtesy of competitors who themselves are monumental and certainly bigger than you. And
the capacity crowd always goes bananas. Being a wrestling fan is the opposite of being a
Red Sox fan.

Your heart is never ripped out as your boys fail grandly at the last moment. In wrestling,
good guys always beat the bad guys in the end, even if they look like they're down for the
three-count. If Bill Buckner had been a wrestler, he'd have been a bad guy, and everyone
would have been ecstatic in Game Six when the ball went between his legs. Even Bostonians
would have been cheering.

2. No annoying gray area. Albert Belle's a jerk, but he's also a phenomenal ball player
who says he's misunderstood. So do we root for him or against him? Or Dennis Rodman, a
great competitor who loves his
daughter, and also an egomaniac prone to kicking cameramen in the cojones -- is he bad or
just plain bad? Is Drew Bledsoe a bad guy for falling apart in the clutch? Is Dennis
Eckersley a bad guy for having a lousy
haircut?

These questions don't exist in pro wrestling. Wrestlers are either 100 percent good or 100
percent bad, with none of that in-between crap. If they cheat and threaten the good guys,
they're evil. If they don't, they're
saints -- at least until they turn bad and power-slam a good guy. They might switch back
and forth every few years, but you always know who you're rooting for.

3. Wrestlers do all their own stunts. To skeptics, wrestling is like Pamela Anderson's
chest: everyone knows it's fake, but guys love watching it anyway. But fake is the wrong
word (for wrestling, at least). A better term is . . .
assisted. There are microphones beneath the mat to make falls sound more painful, and most
moves require cooperation from the victim -- it would be almost impossible to execute a
brainbuster suplex on an unsuspecting
opponent.

But those are real 250-pound guys out there, and when "the Total Package" Lex
Luger military-presses an opponent over his head, he's not getting any help. Wrestlers
really punch each other, really toss each
other around like rag dolls, and really leap from the top rope to drop the elbow pretty
darned close to an opponent's neck. In the more psycho leagues, such as the burgeoning
Extreme Championship Wrestling, they even slash their own foreheads with concealed razor
blades to pretend they've been cut. (How this is better than "really" getting
cut is clear only when you consider that some ECW matches also involve a lot of barbed
wire.)

Wrestling may be a silicone sport, but it still requires serious skills. Jackie Chan is
considered the world's greatest action star in part because he does all his own stunts. So
why can't wrestling be the greatest action sport for the same reason? No big deal if these
guys wouldn't last 15 seconds against Mike Tyson -- he probably couldn't execute a flying
elbow-smash. As for a flying ear-chomp . . .

4. We live in the golden age. Back in the '80s, the WWF had a near-monopoly on national
wrestling, and its broadcast matches were little more than hype for pay-per-view events.
Superstars would fight nobodies on Saturday-morning TV. A typical match would see the
Ultimate Warrior face Barry Horowitz. Based on names alone, you know one guy could be
beaten with a rake for 15 minutes and still lift a Volkswagen over his head, and the other
guy is someone to settle things for you fairly, properly, when you've been injured on the
job or in
your home . . .

Then, in 1993, WWF owner Vince McMahon was indicted for intent to distribute anabolic
steroids. (My analysis: well, duh.) In the wake of the scandal, WWF superstars began
defecting en masse to the WCW, a rival league owned by Ted Turner. These days, the real
battle isn't being fought in the ring. It's being fought during the 9 to 11 p.m. slot on
Monday-night television. The USA Network now programs WWF's Raw head-to-head with TNT's
WCW Monday Nitro -- and in the battle royale for ratings, big matches happen weekly. Hulk
Hogan, who never wrestled on TV in the '80s, now fights almost every Monday. Barry
Horowitz, apparently, is out of a job.

Then again, one of the most intimidating wrestlers in WCW is named Bill Goldberg.
Seriously.

5. It's no worse than soap operas. Despite an abundance of babes, soap operas have never
appealed to males. Professional wrestling fills the void and then some. It trades on the
same need to follow tawdry relationships, complex plot lines, and a cast of characters who
betray each other and feud endlessly. Of course, there's better acting in wrestling. And
more punching and kicking. And steel chairs.

6. It rewards the study of history. Harvard philosopher George Santayana said, "Those
who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Likewise, they're condemned
to never truly appreciate the relationship between Hulk Hogan and "the Macho
Man" Randy Savage, whose rivalry is reaching the length and complexity of a Tolstoy
novel.

Back in the '80s, Hulk Hogan was the blond hero supreme of the WWF, and Randy Savage was
still an up-and-coming wild man. After capturing the heavyweight belt at Wrestlemania IV,
Savage teamed up with Hogan -- until the Macho Man suddenly attacked his teammate during a
tag-team bout. He soon lost his
heavyweight belt to Hogan, then enjoyed a brilliant career as a bad guy, dumping long-time
companion Miss Elizabeth and providing a popular foil for crowd-pleasers like the
Hulkster.

Now, having defected to WCW, Hogan paints on a five-o'clock shadow and wrestles as the
leader of the New World Order, a cabal of bad guys. Savage turned on Hulk and became a
hero again, although his current status
is questionable because he's also part of the NWO. Two weeks ago, on a pay-per-view event
called Uncensored, the two fought in a steel cage.

While this high drama and furious action are ridiculously entertaining even to the
uneducated (okay, especially to the uneducated), only the well-schooled historian can
appreciate the intricacies. Are Hogan and Savage destined to battle forever? Will their
offspring blindly hate each other like modern-day Montagues and Capulets? Will Hulk go
completely bald? Only time will tell.

(The really astute scholar will recall that this weekend's celebrity official, Mike Tyson,
was scheduled to referee a WWF match on NBC back in 1990. Only thing is, he lost his
boxing title 12 days before the meet and was replaced by the new champ, Buster Douglas.
The match he refereed? Hulk Hogan versus Randy Savage. Those who do not remember the past
. . .)

7. It's guilt-free violence. In ancient Rome, gladiators battled against lions, a
spectacle that by all accounts was extremely diverting. Morally, though, it was a little
suspect -- plus, it wasted a lot of gladiators. Today we've got boxing, which fulfills a
similar voyeuristic need for violence.

Again, it's morally suspect, and Don King wastes a lot of styling products.

Professional wrestling, by contrast, is guilt-free. Nobody's really getting hurt --
they're just pretending to suffer from that flying drop kick. When an aging "Nature
Boy" Ric Flair was carried out of the ring on a stretcher a few
months ago, he was back on TV the next week, talking trash, preparing for battle. It's
just like when Wile E. Coyote gets smooshed by an anvil, falls off a cliff, then picks up
the chase exactly where he left off. He bounces
back, ready to buy more Acme products, ready to put the Roadrunner in a figure-four leg
lock.

Hulk Hogan built an entire career out of bouncing back. His schtick was to suffer a
monstrous beating -- including his opponent's signature, lethal finishing maneuver -- then
suddenly spring up and win the match. I grew to hate the Hulkster for this, but the
average wrestling fan didn't seem to mind (or notice) that every match ended exactly the
same way. And they loved that Hogan could take a lickin' and resume ass-kickin'.

8. It's, uh, homoerotic. Mention this to the wrong fan, and you could find yourself on the
receiving end of an inverse atomic drop. Remember: WCW, at least, is rooted in a part of
the country where gun racks are as common in cars as tree-shaped air fresheners. But let's
call a spade a spade: wrestling's a bunch of beefy, pumped-up men rolling around together
in bikini briefs, touching each other in naughty places. Executing a body slam requires
scooping up your opponent by his crotch. Winning a match means sweating, straining against
other men, and lots of flexing. The predominantly male audience cheers wildly.

Since the average wrestling fan isn't too comfortable with what this might mean, wrestling
creates lightning-rod characters like "Ravishing" Rick Rude, who in the late
'80s wore a Freddy Mercury mustache, made strutting
entrances to stripper's music, and swiveled his hips seductively. Things got way more
mean-spirited with Goldust, currently one of the most hated bad guys in the WWF. He
dresses in leather and spandex, lasciviously praises his opponents' physiques, then
fondles them during matches. Fans hiss vigorously, call him a faggot, then go home to leaf
through their Muscle & Fitness magazines and argue about whose pecs are bigger.

9. It's a window onto the Zeitgeist. As Goldust demonstrates, wrestling villainy is an
excellent indicator of what makes average Americans nervous. During the Cold War, Russians
were the worst bad guys, and a tag team
called the Bolsheviks would sing the National Hymn of the Soviet Union before matches. The
Iron Sheik was similarly hated for his Iranian patriotism. Then the Berlin Wall came down
and the Iron Sheik turned 50.

So the WWF sought new bad guys. Its search for a villain has produced the following:

Accountants: Out of the depths of the 1991 recession crawled Irwin R. Schyster (a/k/a
IRS), who announced before his matches how many months were left until taxes were due. He
lasted well into the Republican revolution.

Fat people/the Japanese: In the early '90s, Yokozuna weighed in at 589 pounds and defeated
Hulk Hogan by distracting him with Eastern fireworks. He was managed by Mr. Fuji, who
spoke broken English and threw salt in the eyes of opponents.

Gays: In the past few years, Goldust's look has evolved from two-bit drag to a more
sophisticated S&M getup. But the message is still the same: Smear the queer.

The self-involved: "Buff" Bagwell turns to the camera and announces, "Do
not adjust your television -- I am this good-looking!"

Canadians: The Mountie, who looked like Dudley Do-Right, was a notorious cheater. And
Calgary native Bret "the Hitman" Hart taunted Americans for being bad hockey
players. Ouch, Bret. Hit us where it hurts.

10. Andy Kaufman loved it. Kaufman, never the most predictable of comedians, once
announced he was going to sue NBC, then buy the network and turn it into a 24-hour
wrestling station. The deadpan Kaufman was a devoted wrestling fan; he became famous for
wrestling women, and his self-declared title as World Intergender Wrestling Champion led
to a notorious battle against Jerry Lawler, who's now a commentator on Raw.

Courtesy of a pair of Lawler pile drivers, Kaufman seriously injured his cervical
vertebrae and had to wear a neck brace for months. Was the match was a big joke, or was he
serious about the feud? He never let on.

This is the great pro wrestling dilemma, and Kaufman's perpetually straight face made it
all the more confusing.

11. There's no escape. Jesse "the Body" Ventura has had roles in several movies,
including Predator and Batman and Robin. In 1991 he was elected mayor of Brooklyn Park,
Minnesota. Now he's running for governor on Perot's Reform Party platform, against Ted
Mondale and Hubert Humphrey III. That's right -- two sons of vice presidents and a guy who
used do commentary alongside Gorilla Monsoon.

Randy Savage received a Real Man of the Year Award from the Harvard Lampoon, thanks in
large part to his brilliant, if incoherent, work in Slim Jim commercials. The Hulkster
recorded an album, did some cameos on
Baywatch, and starred in classic films like Piledriver and No Holds Barred. Andre the
Giant was unforgettable in The Princess Bride, and George "the Animal" Steele
scored a major role in Tim Burton's Oscar-winning Ed Wood.

Wrestling is indeed everywhere. And if you think you're safe, just turn on WBZ -- nightly
news anchor Sean Mooney cut his journalistic teeth as Events Center host for the WWF.
Wrestling cannot be stopped. It cannot be contained. It's a fixture of American life, it's
here to stay, and it's going to the top rope! It's dropping the elbow! It's going for the
pin! What an amazing display of athleticism and bravery! This capacity crowd is going
nuts!

Sorry.

(Weighing in at 180 pounds, hailing from parts unknown, Hacksaw Dan Tobin can be reached
at dtobin@phx.com)______________________________________

NEWTON, Iowa -- A life-size mural of a famouswrestler will greet visitors to a wrestling museumplanned for this central Iowa community.

Dan Gable? Bruce Baumgartner? Hulk Hogan?

Nope. Try Abraham Lincoln. In his younger days, the16th president was a pretty fair country wrestler."Lincoln is arguably the most important
person ever tolive in the
Western Hemisphere, and he was proud of hisprowess as a backwoods wrestler," said Mike Chapman,who's coordinating the project for the
InternationalWrestling Institute
and Museum.

"Wrestling is mankind's oldest sport," he said.

"Wrestling is mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh, theoldest known piece of literature in the world, and in the
Bible, where Jacob wrestles the angel of the Lord, and inThe Iliad and Homer."

The 8-foot mural showing Lincoln as a wrestler willadorn the lobby of the museum, which Chapman hopes to
open early in 1998. The museum will trace the history ofwrestling from ancient Greece to the present.
___________________________________________

CAULIFLOWER ALLEY CLUB BANQUET IN NEWTON

The CAC has accepted Mike Chapman's offer to hold next year's (1998)Cauliflower Alley Club (West Coast) banquet in
conjunction with the WrestlingHall
of Fame inductions in Newton, Iowa, on April 24, 1999. For the firsttime, this will bring the pro and amateur ranks
together, notes CAC Vice-President Karl K. Lauer of Rolla, Mo. "We plan also on a
special tribute toRocky
Marciano, who died in a plane crash in Newton.

The Cauliflower Alley Club is an association of past, present and futurechampions, contestants and allied personages
joining in recognition andcelebration
of fellowship within the boxing and wrestling world. It is open,
in other words, not only to former participants but to fans as well. Use thefollowing form, if you wish, to order your
membership application or renewal.

Please send your check or money order for $25 dues donation to CAULIFLOWERALLEY CLUB, HCR 33, Box 107, Rolla MO 65401).
Upon receipt of dues, your newMembership
Card and parchment Membership Certificate will be mailed. PLEASEPRINT NAME (as it will be used for Certificate) and ADDRESS LEGIBLY.

Dues are payable at the beginning of each calendar year. After two years'delinquency, name is removed from the mailing
list. Any further questions,contact
Karl Lauer at (573) 729-2775 or FAX (573) 729-7998.

NAME ________________________________

(Professional Name)___________________________

TELEPHONE_____________________Birthdate_______

ADDRESS__________________________________

___________________________________________

CITY_________________________STATE____ZIP____

Company/Organization___________________________

Address_______________________________________

City__________________________State______Zip____

Relative or Friend (for emergency)__________________

_______________________Telephone______________

Address_______________________________________

City__________________________State______Zip____

PLEASE CHECK ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

____Boxer _____Wrestler _____ Amateur ______Pro

____Active _____Retired

ANYONE CAN JOIN THE CLUB -- YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IN A RING RELATED
PROFESSION, BUT LET US KNOW WHAT YOU YOU DO, AND SEND A PHOTO AND SHORT BIO
FOR OUR RECORDS.

(Signature)__________________________________

Date Submitted _______________________________

(Biography: Please list any titles, weight divisions, countries, dates, etc.
Submit any information, photos, clippings, etc. -- TO BE INCLUDED IN WALL OF
FAME DISPLAYS SEND TWO 8X10 PHOTOS, ONE SIGNED, TO CAC AND ONE UNSIGNED FOR
PRINT.
___________________________________________

I am trying to find information about a wrestler who wrestled in Louisville,Kyat the Columbia Gym around 1951. He wrestled
under the name of "The YoungFrank
Gotch" I believe his real name might have been Eddie
Gotch or possible Edward Gotch. We know he wrestled circuits in Kentucky andpossible southern Indiana during the 1930's
and 40's. A partial press clippingof a evening of matches (UNKNOWN DATE) we feel that took place atthe Columbia Gym in Louisville, had the
following wrestlers named: The WelchBrothers, Black-Smith Pedigo, and a "Scottie" Williams.

Any Information about Gotch or any place else to look would be appreciated.

Sporting Los Angeles in the 1930s was home to racing dogs, floating crap games and a
unique display of machismo called professional wrestling.

Each week, all over the city, brawny men with odd nicknames entered the ring to battle
opponents with whom they had rehearsed a few days earlier. Fans -- encouraged by splashy
stories and pictures displayed in the local press (whose journalists were often on the
promoters' payrolls) -- bet wildly and illicitly on their favorites.

In the midst of this tarnished glamour stood Lou Daro, "Carnation Lou," a robust
wrestling promoter who had once been a circus strongman but soon was keeping fit by
lifting the sacks of cash that came his way. Even years after he left the circus, he often
boasted that he had the greatest chest expansion of any man alive.

Until World War I, professional wrestling here was as legitimate as Wall Street, and
almost as dull. Then Lou Daro arrived in L.A.

Daro had a show business flair and a booming, German-accented voice that rumbled across
the Grand Olympic Auditorium, which opened in 1925. He was an imposing figure in his
costly suits with his trademark red carnation in the lapel.

Born in Austria in 1887, he ran away from home at the age of 10, joining a flying trapese
act with the Barnum & Bailey circus. Daro never went to school, but in his world
travels he learned to speak eight languages.

While still a young man, he traded in his circus costume to be billed as the
"strongest man in the world" at the New York Hippodrome and Madison Square
Garden. There, at matinees and evening performances, an automobile loaded with passengers
would slowly roll across his chest.

In the early 1920s, in what would be his last professional test of strength, he fought a
tug of war with eight harnessed Clydesdales. One reared up in fright, and the injuries put
Daro in a body cast.

He took what money he had and headed for Los Angeles with his brother, jack.

The wrestling impresarios' road to fame began in 1924, when they advertised instant cash
to "anyone who can stay two minutes or three rounds with the Strangler" -- Ed
"Strangler" Lewis, one of the colorful figures whom Daro managed (sic).

To guarantee a crowd, Daro gave away 50,000 free passes for a match in the downtown
Philharmonic Auditorium, which seated 5,000. As thousands pounded on the doors, Daro -- to
his delight -- was arrested for inciting a riot, giving him publicity that led to a
fortune.

The bouts used the basic choreography of today's "performance" matches. Among
the wrestlers Daro signed were heavyweights "Man Mountain" Dean and Jim Londos,
known as the "Golden Greek," who smeared his body with olive oil.

After a decade of 433 wild, staged, overcrowded exhibitions and occasional riots at the
Grand Olympic Auditorium, Daro's savvy showmanship had brought in more than $6 million in
box office receipts.

Despite his millions, it was a $249 car repair bill -- unpaid for almost 10 years, since
Daro's first impoverished days in Los Angeles -- that helped bring him down.

The auto mechanic, Leo Focher, showed up at the Olympic on July 10, 1935, to collect. Daro
said he was too busy, and when Focher persisted, shouting at Daro, a Daro crony yelled,
"It's a stickup!"

Focher ran to his car and when police arrived, Daro ordered, "Get that car!" A
few blocks away, they stopped Focher's car and as Focher leaped out, one officer shot him
in the leg; another shot him through the heart.

It was ruled justifiable homicide. But to clear Focher's name, his widow gave the
bloodstained bill, which had been pierced by a bullet, to a reporter.

The reporter sent it to Daro and said he would clear Focher's name without mentioning the
bill if Daro put $25,000 in a trust fund for Focher's family. Begrudgingly, Daro did.

The Daro brothers' career as fight promoters ended in 1939 after a special state
investigating committee found that the "wrestling czars of California" had an
illegal monopoly and had paid more than $200,000 over four years to sportswriters, radio
announcers, politicians and public relations firms for their "good will, advice and
entertainment."

Daro kept going for a time, but lawsuits and poor health eventually caught up with him,
and in 1958, he died at the age of 71. He was buried with his signature carnation in his
lapel.

(ED. NOTE -- The above article is courtesy
of the Tom Burke collection, by way of Scott "Mr. Whatever Happened To . . .?"
Teal.)
______________________________________

The WAWLI
Papers # 223...

PEDERSEN MEETS CHAMP AT AUDITORIUM

(Oregon Journal, Portland, Ore., April 7, 1954)

A confident challenger and a capable champion come to grips in the Auditorium tonight and
it'll be Eric Pedersen as party of the first part and Lou Thesz as party of the second
part when they wheel into action.

Thesz, who doesn't usually develop a peeve at any rival, is slightly miffed at Pedersen's
claims to greatness and the usually polite and quiet St. Louis, Mo., resident insists
he'll pull the "body beautiful" apart, muscle by muscle.

Pedersen, who has clamored for a second whack at Thesz ever since he first crossed the
champion's path almost a year ago, is bent on proving to Ed (Strangler) Lewis, Thesz'
manager, that he made a mistake when he told Eric to hunt up a new pilot.

So, with neither man liking each other and both in sound physical condition, their brawl
just could develop into a wild one.

Thesz has age and weight and experience as his top assets, but in Pedersen he encounters a
dangerous, determined rival. Eric has made rapid strides in the past year. He knows more
than he knew the last time he met the champion and he has an idea that Thesz has slipped a
bit.

Their bout is the top one on a six-match card which will get under way at 8:30 o'clock.
General admission ticketrs will go on sale at the Auditorium at 7 p.m.

Pepper Gomez, one of the greatest Texas champions wrestling has had, gets a chance at the
world's heavyweight title when he meets Louis Thesz in the most important main event of
the year at the City Auditorium on Friday night.

Gomez, in top shape after his gruelling triumph over Duke Keomuka in a marathon match last
week, promises to continue the same pace against Thesz in Friday's battle.

Both men will have first-class advice from the corner for Friday's test. Black Guzman will
handle the challenger and his first-hand knowledge of Lou's style is expected to pay big
dividends. In the opposite corner will be the veteran Ed (Strangler) Lewis to handle the
champion.

Matchmaker Frank Burke has come up with a top-flight card of prelims, including a pair of
the country's top midget wrestlers, who will appear in the nontelevised opener.

Duke Keomuka, anxious to get back in the win column after his terrific clash with Gomez
last week, faces the biggest man in the mat game when he meets Tarzan Mike. Mike is also
anxious to step into the main event slot and figures to go all out against the Duke.

Mr. Moto, also after a convincing win, meets the youngster who has captured the fancy of
the fans here with a trio of wins, Wilbur Snyder.

Rito Romero is due to have a tough job on his hands when he faces George Bollas in the
second scrap.

A pair of mighty atoms rip loose in the pace-setter when Sky Low Low, rated as one of the
world's best athletes, pound for pound, meets England's mighty midget, Lord Clayton
Littlebrook.
_______________________________________

World heavyweight wrestling champion Louis Thesz defends his title and belt against a man
who already holds a victory over him when he meets Texas champion Pepper Gomez in the main
event at the City Auditorium Friday night.

Gomez earned the right to face Thesz by his battle with El Medico last week and also
earned it on the basis of his record. The last time he faced Thesz he won a conclusive
victory over the big St. Louis star and ousted him out of the No. 2 spot in the nation's
ratings (ED. NOTE--Pepper Gomez beat Lou
Thesz in Houston on Sept. 21, 1956, while Whipper Billy Watson held the National Wrestling
Alliance world heavyweight title.)

Gomez will go into the ring full of confidence on Friday. Since his last battle with Thesz
he has had the advantage of coaching by Lou's former manager, Strangler Lewis, and he
expects the things he learned from Ed to pay big dividends in Friday's fracas.

Friday's six-match card is at the City Auditorium due to the fact that the rodeo occupies
the Coliseum. But promoter Morris Sigel has made the bill of Coliseum proportions.

In the semifinal an international slugging bee will take place when Oriental Tokyo Joe
matches his chops and chokes against the rough wrestling of Irish Danny McShane.

In the balance of the prelims Bobby Managoff battles Iron Mike in the promising special
event with Managoff out after main event recognition.

The Bulldog faces 552-pound Country Boy Calhoun who is rapidly assuming the proportions of
a legend here.

Joe (Killer) Christy tries his wallops against sturdy Dirty Don Evans in the second bout.

Larry Chene will leap into action in the opener against Mad Maurice Vachon.
______________________________________

Guess how Penny Banner celebrated winning the women's heavyweight wrestling championship
after defeating June Byers last August 26th.

She went out dancing, with wrestler Johnny Weaver, at a Fort Wayne spot for two hours
after, what she termed, the "toughest fight of my life."

A real devotee of rock and roll, Miss Banner's two favorite pastimes are "dancin' up
a storm and wrestlin' up a storm."

The 27-year-old blond bombshell, without a doubt the prettiest of all wrestling champs,
received more than her share of bumps and bruises during the eight years she has wrestled
professionally.

During her ring career, which began nine years ago, she has received chipped teeth, had
her nose broken three times, dislocated both elbows, had her knee caps "thrown
out" and at one time was laid up for six months with a dislocated back.

Penny Banner doesn't hesitate when she says she prefers wrestling "dirty" to
fighting "clean" and she has always been tagged as "the bad guy" in
her bouts.

Perhaps many wonder why a beautiful young girl like Penny would choose a ring career, and
then after having been injured as much as she has, keep coming back for more punishment.

One reason is readily apparent -- the money. Miss Banner earned $13,000 to $15,000 a year
before she won the title. If she hangs onto the crown she should hit the $25,000 class
next year.

Penny says that being a woman wrestler is much better than a college education. "I
get to see so many places in this world, places most people just read about."

Miss Banner says she plans to retire in about five years but until then she intends to
keep fighting "dirty."

"After all," she says, "boos are better than no audience reaction at
all."

This magazine thinks there will always be an audience reaction to Penny Banner .. . . from
the "oohs and ahs" when she climbs into the ring to the "boos and
bahs" when she leaves.
______________________________________

WRESTLING GREAT THEATER, BIG CABLE PROFITS

(Advertising Age, May 11, 1998)

By William Spain

When Ted Turner first put wrestling on cable TV in the early '70s, some competitors wore
masks. Perhaps they didn't want anyone to know what they did for a living.

Today, professional wrestlers go to sales meetings in suits and ties, attracting legions
of fans including families and clean-cut kids. Professional wrestling has successfully
moved from trash sport to big-time entertainment.

"Since 1994, our revenues for wrestling have increased by ten times," says Joe
Uva, president of Turner Entertainment sales and marketing; Turner is owner of the
top-rated wrestling programs on cable TV.

In terms of audience and ad growth, "what (is) happening with wrestling is the same
kind of thing that happened with NASCAR," Mr. Uva says.

Helen Katz, media research manager, DDB Needham Worldwide, Chicago, calculates $55.3
million was spent last year by advertisers on cable TV wrestling.

The biggest fight of all may be outside the ring: Turner and USA Networks are involved in
a Monday night death match pitting World Championship Wrestling against the World
Wrestling Federation in a no-holds-barred battle for viewers and advertising dollars.

Wrestling's image began to shift in the 1980s, when stars like Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper
attained a kind of camp-hero status among kids as the spread of cable exposed them to
ever-wider audiences.

Then, in 1988, Turner purchased a major wrestling promotion company and gave it a complete
overhaul, renaming it World Championship Wrestling.

Simultaneously, the original teen-age viewers grew into free-spending young adults, new
audiences began tuning in and the process only continues to accelerate.

Turner, building on the success of its "TNT Monday Nitro" card, this year
launched yet another prime-time series, this one on TBS, named "Thursday
Thunder."

"It was the highest-rated original series premiere in basic-cable history,"
claims Mr. Uva, adding that it hit an impressive 4.2 rating within the Turner universe.

Another major change for the industry is that no one on the inside -- from performers to
programmers to sponsors -- even tries to maintain the fiction that professional wrestling
is in any way authentic athletic competition.

While the full body slam is still a staple, much of the fake blood of the early days is
long gone and, in the words of one programming executive, "the only way anyone gets
hurt is by accident."

Veteran broadcast buyer Doug Seay, senior VP at Hal Riney & Partners, New York, puts
it this way: "When you buy wrestling, everyone has a reasonable expectation that it
is phony. In many ways, it foreshadowed a whole trend of sports as entertainment and news
as entertainment (but at least) it is more honest in its blatant self-promotion."

It can also be, he adds, a good buy.

"For some targets, it delivers huge numbers incredibly efficiently and that makes it
a great vehicle."

He suggests it is a particularly good fit for some cars and trucks, the auto aftermarket,
soft drinks, snack foods and movies.

Turner's wrestling sponsor list is all over the map, Mr. Uva says, from
"telecommunications to candies, snack foods, fragrances, games, movies and
electronics."

"We well it as a whole marketing platform," he says, including not just TV spots
but in-arena-sponsorships, events and a wide range of promotional opportunities.

A recent example was last month's "WCW Spring Breakout" traveling road show
co-sponsored by Burst. The tour hit several campuses before ending up in Panama City,
Fla., just as hordes of college students descended for their annual spring break
pilgrimage.

At USA Networks, which goes head-to-head with Turner in the wrestling market, their WWF
properties are sold "as part of a bigger entertainment landscape. Some people may
still think of it as sport but it is really entertainment with a storyline," said
Bonnie Hammer, USA Networks' VP-original productions and programming.

Still, not everyone is on board yet. Executives at USA and Turner concede that some
advertisers still have lingering concerns about both viewer demographics and violent
content. That arises largely from a misperception of what wrestling is now, as opposed to
the old days, Mr. Uva says.

"Our demographic profile is not what one might expect," he says. There is a high
concentration of men, but many are in the $30,000-$40,000-plus income bracket.

"We overindex against the people who you would assume are too upscale for this,"
he says.

Mr. Seay agrees: "The perception of the audience doesn't match the reality. You think
it is the woodsman from 'Deliverance' who watches wrestling but it is far more
universal."

He also has few qualms about content. "I wouldn't put clients in 'Jerry Springer' but
I do put them in wrestling. One man's stigma is another man's opportunity."_______________________________________________

The WAWLI Papers
# 224...

'STRANGLER' LEWIS TO MEET THESZ ON MAT

(Bremerton Sun, Friday, September 7, 1945)

Ed (Strangler) Lewis, one of the all-time greats of the wrestling game, will be the
headliner of the newly organized Sportsmen's Club grappling program next Thursday night at
the Civic Center here.

This card will mark the resumption of the mat game in Bremerton after a six-week layoff.
The new Sportsmen's Club, with Vic Sinkunas as the promoter, has taken over the local
wrestling enterprise from the Globe A.C.

The appearance of "The Strangler" on the opening fall show should give the game
a great send-off. The big fellow is now in his middle 50s, but he's still in great shape
and is able to hold his own in any ring. During the spring, incidentally, he made a tour
of army and navy camps in the nation, demonstrating some of the fine points of wrestling
and then challenging all comers. He was never downed.

In addition to making appearances himself, Lewis is also tutoring a big Minnesota fellow
named Gustafson, and figures the youngster is championship material. It is likely that
local fans will also get a look at Gustafson before long.

Louis Thesz, the handsome Hungarian from Fort Lewis, will be the man to test Lewis in his
bout here. This should be a natural, for Thesz has never been defeated in the Bremerton
ring. Formerly of St. Louis, he's a favorite of the fans and a fine representative of the
game.

Signing of the other bouts for the card was being completed today.
_______________________________________

WRESTLING SHOW PRICES CUT FOR THURSDAY

(Bremerton Sun, Monday, September 10, 1945)

Advance sale of tickets for Thursday night's wrestling card -- marking the re-opening of
the sport here after a six-week vacation -- began today.

And the fans, no doubt, were pleased as punch when they discovered that the Sportsmen's
Club, which is promoting the matches henceforth, had deemed an admission price cut was in
order. Henceforth, there will be just two prices for the weekly wrestling shows -- $2 for
reserved seats, and $1 for the general admission areas.

The slash was made in keeping with the local trend. Workers are taking homeless pay since
the navy yard and many civilian enterprises shifted from the 48-hour to the 40-hour work
week. Each family will have a little less to spend for recreation, so the wrestling show
costs were reduced to help the fans along in this regard.

Tickets are being sold in advance of the shows, as formerly, at the Smoke Shop, Palace and
Sport Shop, all in the downtown area; at Hal's Tavern in Manette, and at the C. Jack Jones
Marine Supply store in West Bremerton.

Signing of the Thursday card has been completed. As previously announced, Ed (Strangler)
Lewis, one of the alltime greats of the game, meets Louis Thesz, Fort Lewis, in the main
go. Two newcomers to Bremerton, both highly rated boys, tangle in the other
two-falls-out-of-three match; they are Hal Rumberg of McChord Field, 240 pounds, and Rube
Wright of Texas, a brother of Jim Wright, 245 pounds. In the special event, Antone Leone
of Oyster Bay, N.Y., 222 pounds, meets the popular and colorful Johnny Walker of Chicago,
210 pounds.

The first match will start at 8:30 o'clock. Weekly cards, on Thursday night at Civic
Center, are planned.
___________________________________________

CLIFF GUSTAFSON, LOU THESZ IN NO-FALL DRAW

(Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Tuesday, September 11, 1945)

Cliff Gustafson, the burly young man from Gonvick, Minn., and Cpl. Louis Thesz, the
thick-necked and also youthful grunter and groaner from Fort Lewis, did their swinging and
sweating without a result last night at the Civic Auditorium. The two grappling pachyderms
did their stuff cleanly and stuck mainly to classic holds, surprising the promoters by not
"stinking the jernt out."

Both Gustafson and Thesz are students of old maestros like Ed (Strangler) Lewis and Dan
(The Lion) Koloff. They went through a pretty fair repertoire from wristlocks to toe holds
last night without appreciably paining each other or the audience.

Corporal Louie Thesz of Fort Lewis and Clifton Gustafson of Gonvick, Minn., tugged and
mauled each other thru 60 minutes of exciting action to a no-fall draw in the main event
of the State Athletic Club card at the Civic Auditorium last night.

It was easily the finest mat display since the revival of the game locally and one of the
best goes ever unleashed here.

There were thrills galore as these two undefeated boys "shot the works." On one
occasion, Thesz let go with his "flying tackle" but Gustafson finally squirmed
away. On another sortie, the Swedish kid tied up the Hungarian with a headlock, but he
managed to weather the storm session.

For some strange reason, "The Angel" appears to draw the bobby sox crowd a la
Frank Sinatra. Anyway, the ugly Frenchman took a pair of falls from Chief Little Wolf in
the semi-windup. He used the "bear hug." The Redskin got the middle fall with a
top body press.

Albert Mills, the Englishman, came from behind to win from Jim Wright of Texas in the
special event. Wright scored first with a "strangle-headlock." Mills tied the
score with a toehold and got the decisive fall when Referee Nick Zvolis awarded him a foul
on a strangle.

Rube Wright, Jim's brother, registered in the opener by fastening Jim Clark of St. Joseph,
Mo., with a reverse toehold in 17 minutes.
_______________________________________

WRIGHT BROTHERS IN GRAPPLE WIN

(Tacoma News Tribune, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 1945)

The brothers Wright, Rube and Jim, defeated the soldier duo of Cpl. Louie Thesz and Pvt.
Morris Shapiro, both of Fort Lewis, in the tag team bout heading the mat program Tuesday
night at the Midway.

Jim, who hefts a trifling 240 pounds, pinned Shapiro with a hammerlock in 29 minutes for
the first fall. Rube, who bounces the Fairbanks at 260 pounds, scored over Thesz in nine
minutes with a body press.

Some of the fans didn't care for the tactics of the Wrights and James ran a gauntlet of
irate gallerites to reach the dressing room. Rube, a patient soul, waited until the
gendarmes arrived and they conducted him safely to the quiet and peace of the dressing
quarters.

Chief Little Wolf, 235 pound Navajo, and Seelie Samara, 237-pound Negro, drew in the
semifinal, each gaining a fall. The Injun won the first fall in 29:30 with a slam and
press, while Seelie took the second in 9:14 with a grand slam.

Jim (Dazzler) Clark, 235 pounder from Kansas, won from Mickey Gavas, 230 pounder from Fort
Lewis, with a back breaker and body press in 14:545. Gavas, a likely looking youngster,
was making his pro debut.
_________________________________________

WRESTLING RE-OPENS; 'STRANGLER' IN TOWN

(Bremerton Sun, Thursday, September 13, 1945)

Big, hard-as-nails Ed (Strangler) Lewis came to Bremerton this afternoon, all ready for
the re-opening of the professional wrestling season at the Civic Recreation Center at 8:30
o'clock tonight.

Lewis, one of the all-time greats of the mat game, planned to spend several hours before
the wrestling program in getting acquainted with Bremertonians, particularly navy men.
During the war emergency, he made extensive tours of army and navy camps to participate in
athletic shows, and he made hundreds of friendships among service people.

"It's a real pleasure for me to wrestle in a city like Bremerton, where there is an
abundance of navy men. I know they enjoy good, clean, thrilling sport -- just as I do. And
I know they believe in keeping their bodies in excellent
shape -- just as I do. We speak the same language," Lewis commented.

Lewis, still one of the mat game's best men despite his increasing years, meets Louis
Thesz, the handsome Hungarian, on the main event of tonight's card, the first being staged
by the new Bremerton Sportsmen's Club, with Vic Sinkunas as matchmaker.

Hal Rumberg of McChord Field meets Rube Wright of Texas in the other half of the double
main event; both weigh in the neighborhood of 240 pounds, and both are new to the
Bremerton ring. Rube Wright is a brother of Jim Wright, who is known to local fans.

John Walker, the colorful Chicago boy, and Antone Leone, from Oyster Bay, N.Y., collide in
the opener.
_______________________________________

LOU THESZ BEATS 'STRANGLER' ED LEWIS

(Bremerton Sun, Friday, September 14, 1945)

A good-sized crowd last night saw Ed (Strangler) Lewis, massive ex-heavyweight wrestling
champion, drop two straight falls to Louis Thesz of St. Louis, big army private now
stationed at Fort Lewis, as the mat game came back to Bremerton.

The Sportsmen's Club, with Vic Sinkunas as matchmaker, brought the Lewis-Thesz match here
to headline its first card. By winning, Thesz maintained his record of never suffering
defeat in the local ring.

Lewis was in top shape despite his years, but Thesz was easily the more powerful.
Following the match, Lewis praised Thesz' ability but declared that Cliff Gustafson, his
protege who may soon show here, is a better man than Thesz -- and will prove it!

In the lower half of the double main event, Rube Wright, big Texan, scored over Hal
Rumberg, army corporal from McChord Field. It was a thriller.

Antone Leone, Oyster Bay, N.Y., and John Walker of Chicago battled 30 minutes without a
fall in the opener.

Another pro card is scheduled next Thursday, with the lineup of bouts to be announced
soon.
_______________________________________

STRANGLER ED PINCH HITS FOR FRIEND, LOSES

(Tacoma News Tribune, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 1945)

In an unexpected appearance, Strangler Ed Lewis, pinch hitting for his protege, Cliff
Gustafson, lost two straight to Rube Wright in the semi windup at the weekly wrestling
matches at the Midway Arena Tuesday night.

Gustafson was injured Monday night in Seattle and Lewis agreed to take his place. Wright
took the first fall in 18 minutes as a result of a successful step-over toehold. The
second fall came 12 minutes into the second period with a body slam.

After Dick Raines, 230, had been awarded the deciding third fall over Seelie Samara, 245,
his reluctance to discontinue his slamming the big Negro about the mat drew the ire of
Referee Nick Zvolis who disqualified Raines, reversed his decision, and gave the match to
Samara.

The first fall went to Samara with a body press in 15 minutes. The second period ended in
2 minutes as Raines pinned Samara using a back breaker.

In the best match of the evening, Kay Bell, 235-pound ex-WSC footballer, and Mickey Gavas,
240, struggled to a 30-minute draw before the fair-sized crowd.
________________________________________

CHIEF LITTLE WOLF WINS IN MAT TEST

(Bremerton Sun, Friday, September 21, 1945)

Chief Little Wolf, full-blooded Indian, scored an unpopular victory over Johnny Walker of
New York in last night's main event wrestling bout at Civic Center. The crowd was small,
but it was rewarded for its attendance by being
treated to about the best mat show that has ever been staged here.

The main event result was unpopular because Little Wolf displayed dirty tactics throughout
the match.

In the semi-windup, Antone Leone of New York scored a two-fall win over Kay Bell, big,
handsome Seattle boy who was making his debut here.

"Dazzler Jim" Clark, a big fellow, won over Mickey Gavas, nice-looking Greek
boy, in the special event which opened the card.

Another show will be offered to fans next Thursday night.
_______________________________________

FRANK STOJACK AND LOU NEWMAN SCORE

(Bremerton Sun, Friday, September 28, 1945)

A tag team match -- something decidedly new to Bremerton wrestling fans -- caused quite a
furore at the Civic Center last night. The team match headlined the Sportsmen's Club
weekly mat card, and it was a battle of brawn and words from start to finish.

Frank Stojack of Tacoma and Lou Newman of Toronto, who composed team No. 1, were the
winners in two out of three falls over big Rube Wright of Texas and talkative, clowning
Antone Leone of Oyster Bay, N.Y. The crowd was satisfied with the outcome, for Leone and
Wright were villainous.

In the semi-windup, Hal Rumberg, with a new army discharge in his pocket, won two falls
over Mickey Gavas, who still is a soldier at Fort Lewis. Lou Newman, who subbed in the
opener, won over Mike Reilly of Tacoma, also a sub.

Another card is slated for next Thursday night, with matchmaker Vic Sinkunas promising to
announce the lineup by Monday.
______________________________________